and out of the community via the Missouri River. The gold rush also helped Yankton to cement its place in western lore: In 1877, the territorial capital hosted the murder trial of Jack McCall, who was convicted of killing Wild Bill Hickok in Deadwood. McCall was hanged in March 1878 near what is now the site of 31st St. and Highway 81. McCall is buried in an unmarked grave somewhere in the Yankton cemetery. The city’s days as a territorial capital were numbered, as the governing seat was removed from the town under highly questionable political means in 1883 - a bitter fact that local residents remembered for generations. When North and South Dakota joined the union in 1889, Pierre was chosen as the state capital. The Missouri River had always been a key facet of Yankton’s character, but as the 20th century arrived and travel advancements were made, there was still no permanent bridge here. Pontoon bridges were deployed in the summer, and travelers had to make their way across the frozen river during the winter. City officials knew that had to change in order for Yankton to grow and prosper. In 1924, the Meridian Bridge, a double-decked structure along what was later called the Meridian Highway, was opened. The bridge was built largely with local funds, and the city spent the following 29 years collecting tolls to pay off the debt. The books were cleared in 1953, leading to a “Toll Free in ‘53” celebration. The river’s unpredictability was also an inescapable part of Yankton life. Major floods - notably the flood of 1881, which wiped out the nearby town of Green Island - were constant scourges to Yankton residents. Finally, in the 1950s, this changed with the construction of the Gavins Point Dam west of Yankton. This dam was part of a system of six federal dams created by Congress in the 1940s - a great experiment to tame the wild river. In 1957, Gavins Point Dam was officially completed, and besides bringing the rampaging river mostly under control, it 10 – Yankton, South Dakota created Lewis and Clark Lake, giving the Yankton area a new state park that now attracts more than a million visitors a year and is the most popular South Dakota tourist draw outside of the Black Hills. As Yankton entered the 21st century, it faced new bridge concerns. The Meridian Bridge, has become probably the city’s most recognizable landmark, was aging and had mostly outlived its usefulness as a motor-vehicle structure. Plans were finalized to build a new bridge just to the west, but there were fears that the old bridge would be torn down and a piece of history lost. However, a deal was struck with federal officials to save the old bridge by converting it into a pedestrian walkway that would be owned by the city. In the fall of 2008, the Discovery Bridge - named in honor of the Lewis and Clark expedition was officially opened. Three years later, the Meridian Bridge was reborn as a pedestrian walkway that has turned into a popular recreational attraction. The city is now planning to construct a plaza on the north end of the bridge as part of its ongoing commitment to develop the area. Yankton in the 21st century may not look much like Yankton of the 19th century (even though there are several historical sites in the community), but the spirit is still growing strong. The town is changing and growing with the times. There is not only plenty of history to see and enjoy in the town, but also plenty of history left to be written.